Speaking about energy harvesting with a group of NC State football fans
Thanks to my Kenan Fellowship, I have had the opportunity to take part in a number of new experiences, on top of learning new skills and techniques to be a better teacher in my classroom. Although I have not posted this sooner (we all know how busy a teacher’s life can be!), I wanted to mention my latest experience as a result of the program.
On September 12, myself and another Fellow, Nancy Cattrell, were invited by the NC Electric Cooperative to attend the NC State – Eastern Kentucky football game to talk about the Kenan Fellows Program with fans in attendance. We were also asked to bring some examples of energy harvesting devices we used during our internship at the NC State ASSIST Center. As a result, I brought my solar powered bristlebot and a handcrank generator while Nancy brought her Arduino Lilypad, the pouch for our group’s wearable device and her tablet containing pictures from our internship to share with game attendees. As one would expect, the items I brought sparked curiosity from the children and Nancy spoke about our project using the Lilypad. There was a lot of interest in what we had to say, both in terms of Kenan/education in general, as well as how energy can be harvested and used in a variety of ways. Once the Fan Zone started to slow down as game time approached, we went inside the stadium to enjoy the game.
Leigh Ann Hudson receiving the game ball
Another treat for the day involved seeing an honor bestowed up another of our cohorts in the Fellows Program: Leigh Ann Hudson. Leigh Ann got the opportunity to represent both the Kenan Fellows Program as well as the Electric Cooperative, where she took part in her internship this summer, down on the field. She had the distinct honor of being part of a video about the program that was played during the game’s first quarter as well as receiving the game ball. While she looked a little worried about standing in front of such a large crowd, she did a great job representing both groups.
Overall, I think it is fair to say that we enjoyed ourselves both in terms of watching the game and speaking with people about our experience!